Let’s face it, blogs are usually read by friends or family who feel some obligation to keep up with what people are up to, or by bored office workers who are cruising the ‘net, vicariously living their daydreams. I’ve been that bored office worker.

The challenge for me for writing this blog is that I’m busy experiencing stuff and forget to write about it so that you lot can read my thoughts. Part of me finds it completely incomprehensible that anyone could find my experiences, my thoughts or my life in any way interesting, and part of the challenge comes from the fact that as humans we are adaptable, so things that previously would have been completely novel quickly become “normal”.

Take last night for example. Last night we were anchored inside a beautiful tropical reef that surrounds an island called Vanua Balavu in Eastern Fiji’s Lau group of islands. The bay that we were anchored in was just off a small village called Daliconi (pronounced Dalli-thoni) and, because the entire group of cruisers had been accepted by the village, we were invited to partake in a feast and an evening of music and dance put on by the villagers to entertain us and to thank us for visiting.

So, initially you would think that being immersed in a Fijian village feast, rich with local produce, seafood and meat, serenaded by harmonious singing and entertained by exotic dance could be a little overwhelming. It was a fabulous evening, to be sure, and proved to be entertaining for cruisers and villagers alike. My guitar was loaned for the evening to the band and the boys certainly seemed to enjoy playing a 12 string guitar. The cruisers were welcomed generously and in return the kava we provided was prepared and shared by all who wished to partake.

The fact that we were in a foreign country, experiencing foreign foods and customs became completely irrelevant. It was an inclusive, good natured night of fun - a fantastic night of genuine happiness, community participation, sharing and caring. It didn’t matter that we might have been 1200 miles from our place of origin. It didn’t matter that the songs were previously unheard or that the language was foreign. The extraordinary sights, sounds, smells and tastes all became irrelevant because as extraordinary as it was, it was our present reality. We were immersed in it and the foreignness of the experience was forgotten as mere details, because it felt just how people should behave and should treat each other.


Wow …. Maybe that kava was stronger than I thought.